Stationery

In this day and age, the modern bride can choose whether or not she wants to use digital or printed stationery. Up until recently an electronic invitation was considered passé, but nowadays it doesn’t really matter what medium you use, as long as your invitation reflects the look and feel of the wedding you want. There are pros and cons of both formats, let’s have a look at these.

Decide on the colour scheme and look of your wedding, which will then be reflected in the style of your stationery. More casual weddings beg for a modern, electronic invitation whilst a more traditional wedding calls for good old fashioned paper. The big benefit of going online is being able to reach overseas guests who may not receive their printed invitation in the post. Of course, this does exclude guests who do not have internet access. An added disadvantage is not being able to use the many creative ideas out there for paper invitations. Gone are the days of just having a folded card in an envelope. Nowadays there are a number of different formats, including magnets, puzzles, boxes or even a book. It is also a good idea to have a printed invitation and then add an online invitation that matches or compliments it. That way no one is left out.

Obviously electronic invitations are definitely a lot cheaper and save a lot more time than printed invitations. For a bride on a budget, the electronic option can be very attractive, not only saving them money but also being much more environmentally friendly. With this in mind, it is safe to say that a major disadvantage of printed invitations is the cost, especially if you have quite a stylised look in mind. This can include pricey embellishments like rhinestones and beads. Printed invitations can also take anywhere from four to six weeks to make.

At the end of the day, the choice is yours. There are so many ways to make both printed and online invitations truly unique and personal. An online invitation could include a special song chosen by the bride and groom. Another clever idea is to have a space for guests to submit their own favourite song for the DJ to play at the reception. This can also be done on a printed invitation, simply by adding a space for guests to fill on the RSVP card. Colours on-trend this season include navy, coral, blush and gold. Rustic colours also continue to be in demand. Whatever colours or style you choose to go with, ensure that this style is carried through on all your stationery, such as menus and place cards.

Another 2017 trend is handwritten fonts. There are so many stunning handwritten fonts available, which will give your stationery a romantic calligraphy finish which is much more affordable that having someone designing your stationery in actual calligraphy.